Druidry and trees

[KyrieSummer]

I am not overly versed in the background of the druids, but read that one of our new members (Cleddau) is and is open to discussing what he knows if someone posts . . . so here goes!

I am interested in the druid correlation with trees. I believe that aspects of their religion revolved around trees, but am unsure how. Any information?

Would enjoy finding out what anyone knows on this. Thanks!

 

[truthsayer]

the only things i know about trees is found on a few websites and in my celtic wisdom tarot book. there is a divinatory deck based on tree and their meanings. name ???
wild goose celtic spirituality-- http://web.one.net.au/~troyham/index.html
this is some kind of druid univerity link:
http://members.fortunecity.com/druidry/index.html
this is one is on the ogham symbols were used to do divination by trees or something like that by the celts.
http://members.aol.com/plieadesqu/ogham.htm
celtic animal allies
http://www.joellessacredgrove.com/celtic/animalallies.html
hope that helps some.

 

[Kiama]

What I know of Druidry is that firstly, the word 'Druid' is thought to come from the word 'Duir' meaning to know, to acknowledge, or Oak. And indeed, the Oak is a very important tree for the Druids, also being the first letter of the Ogham script.

Druidic mythology and Celtic mythology also claims that humankind is descneded from trees: That the first woman was born from a Rowan and the first man from an Alder.

The Druids also used a calender of 13 months to time their year, with the thirteen months symbolised by different trees. This is also significant in the Ogham, although some say that the Ogham was not originallly meant to be a calender, but an alphabet, which could be spelt out on staves, the shin, the arm, and the nose,. (This technique was very covert, and mainly used by communicating Druids whilst under the persecution of the Romans)

I think that's all I can tell you really.

Hope it helped,

Kiama

 

[Cleddau Brenin]

Okay, so this is the first discussion that I'm joining so bear with me....

The word 'Druid' is commonly thought to be of Indo-European origin...'Dru' being oak, and 'wid' meaning to know. The Druids of Gaul were said to venerate the oak, especially where mistletoe was to be found growing upon it (a rare occurance), however the mistletoe is not native to Ireland and was only introduced some time in the last century. In fact it is known that Irish Druids reveared the Ash, Hazel and Rowan more than they did the oak...

The Druids used trees in their calender, being made up of 13 months each being asociated with a particular tree and an extra day. The Ogham (a form of writing, and latter of divining) also used tree and plant symoblism. At the center of the eight major fesivals of the year, Druids celebated (and still do) the same festivals as modern day Wiccans, was a massive fire burning the nine trees sacred to the Celtic people.

Among the four trees already metioned (Ash, oak, hazel and rowan) the druids also reveared the Alder, Yew, Poplar, Holly, Willow, Birch, Hawthorn, Honey-suckle, Mistletoe amongst others. All of these plants were accorded magical powers and used in ceremonies to symoblise diferent things and some of this symoblism still survives as folk tales to this day e.g. A marriage ceremony performed under an oak protected the couple from harm, where in parts of England this continued until the 18th century when it was outlawed as a pagan practise and newly weds still some times run for the nearest oak tree as soon as the leave the church.

Trees in general were seen as divine, as in many other cultures, because of their long life spans, and as obvious centers of natural reverence. Plants took on magical atributes based on it's physical and psychological ones, thus the oak who's wood is solid and strong becomes a protective magical infulence, it is also linked with thunder and storms because of the frequncey of lightning strikes on oak trees. Mistletoe berries are thought to represent seman thus is an obvious candiate as a fertility symbol.

That's about all I can remember sat at my computer, I hope I was of some help. I'll post more if I remember anything else of interest, or am asked.

Cleddau Brenin

 

[Rhiannon]

Oooh! Oooh! I just remebered what I wanted to ask you Cleddau Brenin! Lemme type it fast b4 I forget...

What is the relationship (if any) between Druidry and the Hermetics? Is this the same thing? If it is different could you give an example as to how it's different? Or any websites you may find useful/pertinent to the question?

Your info. is appreciated. (Mostly because I am too lazy to really research it myself and I'd much rather sponge off the wealth of knowledge that others already posess! )

Thanks!
Rhiannon

 

[jade]

while going thru the archives....i noticed that this question was never answered......

anyone?

in light,
your moderator

 

[Greenman]

well Druidism and Hermetics originated from different sources and locations, so it's my feeling that any connection between the two is of a much later era. but that's just a hunch.
as far as the list of trees goes, i've never heard of honeysuckle being on that list before, but two that absolutely should be are ivy and broom. ivy is even one of the calendar trees (September-ish i believe).
one of the reasons that mistletoe was so revered was due to the fact that mistletoe grows up in the branches of the tree, 'suspended between heaven and earth'. it was never to touch the ground, being harvested with a golden blade with a white handle (a boline) into a white apron. and as the white mistletoe berry represented semen, so did the red holly berry represent the blood of the mother.
a wonderful resource for the further study of the magickal quality of trees is the second chapter of Robert Graves' "The White Goddess" entitled 'The Battle of the Trees'. great stuff!

 

[Greenman]

i just remembered some more cool tree lore.
the Yew was considered an excellent wood for weapons, especially bows. it came to be thought of as sacred for that reason.
during one famous battle the British beat the overwhelming forces of the French through use of the deadly accurate 'longbow', which was of course made of Yew. the bow was not pulled, but 'plucked' with the middle finger. the term used for firing an arrow with this bow was 'plucking the Yew'.
before the battle the French had sworn to totally destroy the opposing British army, and the cut off the middle finger of the surviving British bowmen. after the total route of the French, the British bowmen stood on the opposite side of the field waving their middle fingers at the retreating enemy, thus starting a tradition that is still practiced by New York cab drivers to this day! so 'pluck you!'

 

[Greenman]

oooh, stand back, i'm on a roll...!
another great resource for sacred tree lore is Rudyard Kipling's poem "Oak and Ash and Thorn". each verse describes another tree's mystery.
one line that i remember goes...

"The Elm she hates
mankind and waits
for any a breeze to be made,
to drop a limb
on the head of him
who any way trusts her shade"

okay, i think i'm done now!

 

[New River]

i don't know any more about druidry than has been posted but i do know that i love trees and consider them very sacred.

one of my favorite exercises is to become a tree. i think about where i want to be planted as i know i will be rooted in the same spot for maybe hundreds of years. i think about how it must be to have no protection from the elements but have to learn to live with them instead. i think of the different stages i will go through each year with no effort other than my natural inner knowing. i think of what it would be like to watch life going by season after season, year after year.

ok, so i love trees enough to think of being one. now you all know. New River's a tree freak. so be it. i love them all but am partial to cottonwoods, sycamores, evergreens, oh and willows as i am a water person.

any one else Love trees?

love, light and hope, New River